Writers are increasingly using platforms like Substack as their primary digital home, but this is a short-sighted strategy. Substack, while convenient, is a distribution tool, not a permanent digital residence. When writers direct readers away from their own websites to platforms like Substack, they risk losing control of their content and long-term visibility.

Platforms promise an audience and ease of use, but writers become tenants rather than homeowners. Corporate landlords can change the rules at any time, as seen with shifts on Twitter and Reddit. Relying on a centralized platform means your work can be altered overnight by a corporate decision. A writer's content needs a permanent homebase—a domain they own and control.

The solution is to shift from publishing directly to platforms to the POSSE method: Publish on Your Own Site, Syndicate Elsewhere. Treat your website as the definitive source of truth, using platforms like Substack solely for distribution. This approach, exemplified by long-time bloggers like John Scalzi, who has maintained his independent website for 28 years, offers the best of both worlds. Writers should use platforms to find readers but always direct them back to their own controlled digital space.